Sydney resident brings wealth of experience new role in fight against cancer

Earlier this week, Mona Baryluk of Sydney was appointed the new chair of Cancer Nova Scotia's advisory board of directors. Born in North Sydney and now living in Sydney, Baryluk has more than 35 years in various aspects of the health systems management, including patient care, education, program development, research and administration. Before retiring in 2012, Baryluk held several senior positions with the Cape Breton Distyrict Health Authority, including 10 years as administrative director of the Cape Breton Cancer Centre. Earlier experiences included roles as a clinical research associate, palliative care consultant nurse, pediatric nurse, and instructor and curriculum co-ordinator at the Sydney Hospital School of Nursing.

Mona Baryluk

Q: What role does Cancer Care Nova Scotia's advisory board play in the fight against cancer?

A: The advisory board is there basically to offer advice. Cancer Care Nova Scotia started in the late 1990s and it was put in place because we have such a huge burden of cancer in Nova Scotia and as a co-ordinated effort to provide guidance and structure for the cancer system.

Since its inception, I was a research associate with the cancer centre when Cancer Care Nova Scotia became an organization of the Department of Health and Wellness. It started with developing cancer standards for our province and with programs that could be spread across the province so that it would offer a high quality of care for all cancer patients across the province.

I think that's the main thing you have to think of with cancer care. It started and it's building program by program. The first program they came out of the gate with was a program called Patient Navigation, and a task force of people across the province put that program together. And it has spread so that there are now patient navigators in every district. It's building a standard and it's promoting care throughout the province.

Q: What do feel you bring to the table in your new role as chair of the advisory board?

A: I think I have a wealth of cancer experience. I have it from the research end, I have it from the palliative care end. And cancer services go from prevention to palliation. Most of the palliative care patients are cancer patients. That's changing, but traditionally that's where that service developed from.

I understand the prevention, and because I have been involved in building the prevention program that this district has, I understand the chemotherapy/radiation end. And because I understand the chemotherapy drugs and the mechanisms of delivery for that — and radiation was a part of that — I have taken the Cape Breton Cancer Centre from prevention to palliation, and it's all together in one program. So I have the skill set and the knowledge base of cancer care to bring to the table.

Q: What do see as some of the challenges ahead for the advisory board?

A: I'm not quite sure about that at this point because it's early days. I have been away for two years and there have certainly been some changes in the cancer centre that I left and there have been changes in cancer care. One of the things that was really coming to the forefront when I left was that there was more coupling — it's called dual modality — there's more chemotherapy and radiation therapy being given concurrently. That was one big change.

I have to get back and see what's the strategic plan for Cancer Care Nova Scotia and how as a board can we look and say, 'OK, this is where we are today, this is where we need to go and what's our journey to get there?' And you have to understand that it's an advisory board of Cancer Care Nova Scotia. The cancer centres within this province and the cancer care delivery system is operational, and we don't have anything to do with that. We offer advice around the programming, where we think services should go, and then we see whether or not that is accepted at the Department of Health."

Q: How do you feel your background in health care helps you in this?

A: I was at the cancer centre in the early days when Andrew Padmos was head of Cancer Care Nova Scotia. I was fortunate enough that in the early days I was put on committees and things like that, so I understand the cancer system as in delivery of care and I understand the cancer system as with the programming from Cancer Care Nova Scotia."